Journey into Lightl

Billy Graham was once asked what practice had helped him the most in his spiritual life. He replied that a daily quiet time was the most important for him. I agree with him. The spiritual discipline of a morning quiet time has been vital to my growth and stability as a Christian.

What A Quiet Time Is

A quiet time is an appointment with God to talk with him and to listen to him. It’s a time to build a relationship with him. It’s a time to ask and receive insight, guidance, understanding, and power from him to face the challenges of the day. It is also a time we give him praise and thanks for who he is and what he has done for us.

A quiet time is organic and flexible, subject to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I leave it to God to impress upon me who to pray for and what to pray for them. I depend on God to illuminate the Scriptures and make them living and active in speaking to me his thoughts.

Something I started doing a few years ago was to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what was going on in my heart. I have discovered a lot of beliefs and feelings I never knew I had because of my capacity to repress and ignore my thoughts and attitudes to the events of life. This awareness is helping me to deal with my false ways deep within.

I also look to the quiet time for God to encourage and inspire me. A devotional I am using called Jesus Calling often is used by God to speak to a deep need I have.

Why A Quiet Time Is Important

First, a quiet time is important because Jesus considered it important. Often he would rise before anyone else and go out to a lonely place and pray (Mark 1:35). If the God/Man Jesus needed to pray, certainly we do too.

Another reason to have a quiet time is to gain God’s perspective on life. If we are not careful, we can become conformed to the world as we do our jobs, listen to the news and engage in the conversations around us.

Recently, I learned that the church didn’t need me to lead a particular group because they already had enough leaders. At first, I felt rejected and depressed. But then I asked God to give me his perspective on the situation and he impressed upon me that he was pleased that I had volunteered. This perspective lifted my spirit.

Another reason to spend time with God is to help us grow in trusting him to run the world. Spending time with God helps me realize that I’m not God. I don’t have to earn importance, love and being okay. He has already completely given me these things, which I’m better able to grasp through a quiet time.

Another reason to have a daily quiet time is to escape the burden of problems and worries. He wants to take them off our hands. As we cast them on him and grow in trusting him to take care of them, we experience peace of mind. Wow! What a benefit.

A final reason to spend time with God in daily quiet times is to show God that he comes first. He wants to be first and when we give the best part of our day to our relationship with him, we are demonstrating that we are seeking “first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

I hope you will develop the habit of a daily quiet time with God. He is pleased when we do, not to earn favor with him, but to receive his gifts for spiritual growth and the challenges of life (2 Peter 1:3).